About Me

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I was Bon Appétit magazine’s Food Editor for 20 years, and it was my responsibility to fill its pages with the delicious, modern and reliable recipes the magazine is known for. I developed many recipes for Bon Appétit, wrote a monthly column, often created the cover dishes, and was the resident food trends expert. But my career in food began long before that.

I have been interested in cooking and everything about food since I was six, when my grandmother taught me to make the brown sugar thumbprint cookies we called Grandmother Cookies; I was enthralled by the magic of turning flour, sugar, and eggs into something so delicious. During my teen years, my parents opened a country inn and restaurant in southern Vermont, and to earn a ski pass, I helped out in the kitchen. I quickly discovered that I liked working with the chef, and before long I was spending more time in the kitchen than on the ski slopes. One day the chef disappeared and I was drafted as the new chef. I went on to work at other New England inns, and restaurants in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. For four years, I ran a successful catering business in Southern California, and taught at UCLA and many Los Angeles cooking schools.

When I learned about an opening at Bon Appétit, I brushed up on my typing, wrote a résumé, memorized names on the masthead, and went to the offices for an interview. Within a week I was hired as an assistant food editor and began devising recipes for feature stories immediately. I worked with celebrity chefs and notable food writers, visited fabulous restaurants, and ate the food of some of the world’s best chefs.

I love to come up with delicious recipes, and wrote five cookbooks for Williams-Sonoma and Time-Life Inc: Cookies and Biscotti, Gifts from the Kitchen, Risotto, Thanksgiving, and After Dinner, and contributed to another: Holiday Entertaining. My sixth book, Weeknights Fresh and Fast, will be published in January.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge about food and my passion for cooking with new writers and other food professionals. I have been a guest teacher at UCLA and the Art Institute of California. I have spoken at many major food conferences in the country, have appeared on TV food shows and radio programs, and have been a judge for the Julia Child Cookbook Awards. I also served on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) and Careers through Culinary Arts Programs (C-CAP).

As busy as I am, I make time to prepare fresh meals at home almost every night for my family of 2. I am first and foremost a cook, and have fun experimenting with the latest ingredients. I shop at Los Angeles farmers’ markets every weekend, and use local and sustainable ingredients whenever practical. I add in yoga, Nordic walking, and hiking in the Sierra’s, to make certain I have a good appetite. I live with my beau and soon-to-be-husband, Steve Peck. Steve is my editor, number one taster, and is responsible for the photos on this blog. He calls himself the blographer.